


Future With Me

by iamavacado



Category: Sanders Sides, Thomas Sanders
Genre: Angst, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders - Freeform, Choking, Corruption, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders - Freeform, Deceit Sanders - Freeform, Deception, Doubt, Emotional Manipulation, Gen, Logic | Logan Sanders - Freeform, M/M, Manipulation, Morality | Patton Sanders - Freeform, Prinxiety - Freeform, Rage, Roman's opposite, Strangulation, Worry, blind to the truth, lying
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-28
Updated: 2018-04-02
Packaged: 2019-04-13 21:12:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14120937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamavacado/pseuds/iamavacado
Summary: I can read your future...I change it around some too...I look deep into your heart and soul...make your wildest dreams come true.Roman's wildest dreams, to be exact.





	1. The Cards.

**Author's Note:**

> I was watching princess and the frog and I got an idea..........

Maybe it was one throwaway nickname too many. Maybe he'd said something particularly harsh. Maybe he'd tossed too many dismissive smiles and waves of the hand in the snake's direction, and now this was him paying for it. Maybe it was something that was long due anyway, but had waited for the perfect moment to implement itself. Whatever it was, it wasn't soemthing Roman expected. But when he tried to lay down that night, he was almost asleep when he heard, almost from a distance, as sort of an echo; a voice he thought had been long forgotten.

_Don't you disrespect me little man._

Roman's eyes opened. At first, all he could see was dark. Vague outlines of posters across his room made him feel grounded, and he dismissed the noise as Virgil playing his music too loud next door. He closed his eyes and drifted off once more.

Then he heard it again. It was harsher this time, with just a tint of amusement.

_Don't you derogate, or deride._

Roman sat up this time, rubbing the grogginess out of his eyes. He spoke out into the black fog of his room. "Virgil?" he whispered. "Is that you?" He started to remove his blankets from over him, because for some reason, he could see something crouched in the corner of his room. He could just make it out. A black outline. If he focused, he could make out the purple patches of a jacket. "If you had nightmares again," he said, "you can come sleep with me. I've already told you I don't mind sharing a bed..." He swung his feet over the bed, still looking at Virgil, who hadn't answered him. He cocked his head to the side. 

Suddenly, Virgil's mouth opened in a wide, sharp toothed grin, as it sang in a low, growling voice, _You're in my world now, not your world._

Roman's heart nearly stopped in his chest. His next sentence was struck dead on his lips, and he watched, paralyzed, as what he thought was Virgil morphed into something...no...someone else.

Roman pressed his hands against his eyes. Surely this was a dream. A bad, bad dream that was a product of exhaustion. He had a late rehearsal today. He had to work overtime, and this was the result. A bad dream. Thomas had been doing his best to be honest. So it couldn't have been. It...it couldn't.

When he opened his eyes again, he wasn't in his room anymore. The lights were almost blinding, and he brought his hands up to shield his eyes from its yellow glow. When his sight was adjusted, he saw that he was in a small, wooden room. One table and two chairs were the only things furnishing it. From what he saw, there were no doors. And in one of the chairs?

_Cuz I've got friends on the other side._

Deceit's yellow eyes flashed silver in the dim light. Roman was speechless. 

Sensing his stunned silence, Deceit clicked his tongue in disappointment. In a blink, and what sounded like a dastardly hiss, he was next to Roman, sliding an arm around his shoulder. Roman tried to pull away, but sharp nails dug into his arm, and he stayed put so as to not get injured. Didn't stop him from glaring at Deceit though.

Deceit didn't seem to care. He smiled wickedly and said, almost like a song, _That's an echo Roman, just a little something we have here up in this corner of Thomas' mind, just a little parlor trick, don't worry._

He shoved him into one of the chairs. Roman was too frightened to protest.

***

Virgil yawned as he walked down the hallway, stretching his arms way above his head. As he did, he passed everyone else's rooms, and he dared to peek inside. As far as the others knew, he couldn't care less about their rooms, but he actually liked seeing how each aspect expressed himself through his own possessions. 

It wasn't like he was breaking and entering. The doors were always left cracked open when they left for the day. Virgil didn't like to do that himself, but he was learning. At least he didn't lock his door anymore like he used to.

The first room he always passed was Logan's. Logan's room was as you expected it to be: neat. But something Virgil definitely did not expect was the abundance of posters he had hanging up in his room. Granted, they weren't bands or shows or any thing he'd consider silly. But there were posters of his favorite books, hung neatly with tacks instead of tape. They completely lined one of the walls, with his very favorite one--good old Agatha Christie--being the biggest. Perhaps he'd pulled them from limited editions of books he'd buy. 

On another wall was a bookshelf. A dark mahogany, it housed all his books, which were all obviously very read. Each one was brimming with marked pages (marked with sticky notes, mind you. He'd never dog ear a page) of all the parts that were his favorite. Just think of Roman and choosing a favorite Disney song. That was how Logan was with his books. He had a favorite, sure, but he can never choose. He loved them all equally.

Virgil peeked his head in and saw the bed, made, with a notebook and pencil sitting on top. They'd been taken off his desk and were probably going to be used for the next academic project, or something. Thomas had finally decided to take that Astronomy class.

Next was Patton's room. Pictures upon pictures lined the wall, along with some kind of token for every memory he could remember. Knick knacks sat on shelves, curtains hung, and there was always a lingering scent of rose bush. Virgil didn't know until he'd seen the candle burning on the side table, but Patton really enjoyed candles. Especially the ones that were bright in color. 

He had influenced Virgil with that. One day, he came home and snuck a tea light out of Patton's room and burned some oils. Roman had seen, but promised not to say anything.

Speaking of Roman, when Virgil went past his room, the door was closed. Of all of them, Roman was definitely the earliest riser. So him still being asleep even though Virgil, the latest riser, was now awake? It was just strange enough to cause him to stop in front of Roman's door and knock.

"Hey, Roman, you up?" he called. No response. He knocked again. "Yo, Prince of Persia, it's time for breakfast!"

Roman did not respond. Virgil was sure he looked confused, and he reached down to try the knob. It was unlocked, and the door creaked open with a small push. 

Roman's room was always the most noisy. Posters and playbills and programs decorated the walls, along with any theatre memorabilia he could find. Disney trinkets were everywhere, even on the side table along with a half drank glass of water. There was Roman's water, Roman's sleep mask, Roman's closet, and Roman's mess.

But no Roman.

"Hey guys, where's Roman?" Virgil asked as he went into the kitchen. 

Patton was washing dishes in the sink, and turned the water off to look around. He looked genuinely befuddled that Roman was not among them all. They all seemed to get into such a routine in the mornings that they didn't bother to notice if anything had changed.

"Huh," he said, "I guess he's still asleep."

"Roman?" mused Logan, nursing a cold peice of toast and a newspaper, "he got up at five in the morning to watch the sunrise and sing At Last I See the Light to everyone once. There is no way he is still asleep." He paused, then looked disappointed with himself. "I am angry that I know the title of that song."

Patton grabbed a towel and wipes his hands clean from the soapy water. "Well then, is he having a singing competition with himself again?" He started for the hall. "If he is, then I want to he--"

Virgil cut him off. "He's not in his room."

This earned looks from both Logan and Patton, and a rock dropped in Virgil's stomach. He half hoped that they'd know where he went, if he wasn't in his room. But they don't know either.

"Well, then where is he?" asked Logan. He stood.

"I don't know," said Virgil. His voice was quieter than he expected it to be.

***

 _Put your mind at ease,_ cooed Deceit.

Roman was sure of the disgusted look upon his face as he glared at the yellow eyed creature, sitting across the table from him with a smirk. His nose was scrunched up at Deceit, and he crossed his arms, looking pointedly away.

Deceit leaned forward, beckoning Roman to listen. His voice rose and clanked against the walls, louder with every passing syllable, but somehow staying at the same hushed tone.

_If you relax, it will enable me to do anything I please._

Roman slapped the table, which thankfully seemed to startle Deceit back into his seat. "I'm not relaxing my mind! Not for you! I don't want to listen to anything you have to say. All you do is lie. I don't listen to liars." He crossed his arms.

Deceit glared at Roman for a second, but smoothed his features over into gentlemanly soon enough. _Would you like your fortune read?_

When Roman looked back at the table, he saw that there was a set of tarot cards on it. The back side design was Roman's symbol that he wore on his outfit, except the colors were no longer the original ones. They were yellow and black.

"I don't want anything from you," said Roman. "I don't need your voodoo magic."

Deceit chuckled. A small, sinister laugh that caused goosebumps to spring up on Roman's arms. Thankfully, he had sleeves.

_Tarot cards aren't evil, Roman._

"Unlike you."

_Just give me two minutes of your time._

"No."

_That's all I need._

"Shut up."

_Two minutes._

Roman didn't answer.

_To look into your future._

Roman closed his eyes. This was a dream, that's all it was.

_Your future with Virgil._

This caught Roman's attention. He opened his eyes, and looked at Deceit. His breathing faltered, and as much as he didn't want to look like he cared about what he said about Virgil, Deceit saw right through it. He knew when someone was lying.

He held up the deck of cards and shuffled it. _The cards will tell._ He opened the cards in a fan and gestured to Roman. _Just take three._

Despite his better judgement, he took three. Deceit set the other cards aside and took the three Roman had drawn. He shuffled them a little, then set them down one by one.

 _The past,_ he said, flipping the first card over. The title of the card read 'Wheel of Fortune.' 

_The Wheel of Fortune indicates an element of change in the querent's life, such change being in station, position, or fortune: such as the rich becoming poor, the poor becoming rich, or--_ he looked up at Roman-- _the introduction of an unexpected companion, mostly dislikeable._

Roman felt his ears begin to get hot. 

Deceit looked back down. _The present._ He flipped the card over and revealed the words 'Two of Cups.'

 _This is a card that represents monogamy, balance, and prosperity in a relationship._ Deceit looked annoyed at the meaning of this card. _Perhaps a long-standing rivalry is ending. A budding friendship, or budding love is starting to build from the ashes of the abandoned hatred._

Roman's heart warmed at this. He couldn't help it.

Deceit flipped over the final card. _The future._ 'The Tower.' 

Virgil had tampered with tarot a few times here and there. And as he did so, he involved Roman. And Roman knew what this card meant. He felt his skin go cold, as if a chill wind had suddenly passed through.

Deceit felt Roman's fear. He was smiling as he said, _The current relationship is full of unbridled passion. While this type of physical passion can be positive, it can also lead to destruction._ Deceit looked up at Roman. He seemed to be studying him. _Passion. That's you._

"So?" Roman's voice was indignant.

Deceit shrugged, his tone coming out forcibly casual. _Nothing._

***

Virgil was sitting on Roman's bed, holding the covers close to his face, taking in his scent. Despite the calming words that Logan and Patton had been telling him, he was worried about Roman. Roman...he didn't just go somewhere. Without telling anyone, especially. And, where would he even go? Why would he go somewhere if he weren't in some kind of trouble that he couldn't easily escape from? Who was he with? When was he coming home? Why--

A hand on his shoulder brought him out of his mini spiral. Virgil looked up at Logan, and then at his hands, which were gripping Roman's comforter so hard that his knuckles were white. He let the blanket fall.

"Don't worry," said Logan. His voice was strangely reassuring. "We'll find him. He's okay."

Virgil didn't say anything. He only nodded. He was afraid if he spoke, his voice would come out distorted.

For some reason, he felt like Roman was definitely not okay.


	2. The Past, The Present, and The Future as Well

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil cares about Roman more than he cares to admit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You wanted Prinxiety? You got it! oh, Oh you didnt ask? well, you got it anyway. and......the plot thickens.

Roman had since stood from his seat, and was now pacing the small room from one end to the other. His heart was beating off the charts, but he could not let his nervousness show. He crossed his arms over his chest, because for some reason, he felt that Deceit knew what was going on inside of Roman on too intimate a level. It was as if he could feel Roman’s heart beat from where he sat at the table; it was like he could read his very thoughts. With his smug smile and hands clasped under his chin like they were old friends meeting for tea.

 

 _Why are you anxious, dear friend?_ asked Deceit. In no time, he had appeared next to Roman and placed a gloved hand on his chest. Roman couldn’t bring himself to move. _Your heart is beating a mile a minute. Take a seat._

 

Roman took a step back, and felt his back pressing against the wooden wall behind him. Was the room getting smaller? “I don’t have anything more to say to you. Let me out of here.”

 

Deceit tutted. _I have never forced you to stay. You could’ve left this whole time._

 

As he said this, he gestured over to the right. Where there were only wooden beams moments ago, a door now stood. It was brightly colored and polished clean; much different to the dusty and cobwebbed area around it. Roman raised an eyebrow at the sight of it. There definitely had not been a door there when he first came in here. Had there?

 

He didn’t feel like sticking around for an answer. Without a second hesitation, he reached for the knob, grateful to go home and get out of this bad dream. But instead of feeling the cold metal, he felt nothing. He tried again. His hand went right through the knob as if it were a hologram. When he tried the third time, the door vanished.

 

Roman yelled in anger, “What do you want from me?”

 

Deceit just smiled with sharp teeth, his yellow eyes flashing silver again. He slid his gloves off, revealing nails that had been sharpened to a point. _I don’t want anything from you._

 

“Stop lying!”

 

_I’m not lying._

 

Roman backed up to the other corner of the room, as far from Deceit as he could manage. ”Yes you are! I don’t know what you want, but I’m not going to help you. So you can take your plan, or whatever you call it, and shove it—“

 

Roman felt a sudden pain in his head, and he reached up to hold his forehead. It was as if someone had poured nails inside his brain and shaken them around so they banged and bounced against his skull. It was more intense than any headache he’d ever had before. Something…something wasn’t right here. He felt unsteady. Not in control. A dark seed wiggled its way through his ear and planted itself in his head in the form of those words he had been told by Virgil so long ago. When they had been in his room for that amount of time, he had said it with that distortion under his voice.

 

“They’ve been in this corner of your mind for too long. It’s corrupting them.”

 

The pain dizzied him so much that he had to lean against the wall and slide to the floor, clutching his head. The floor swirled before him, and for some reason he felt like he was falling. He saw Deceit’s shoes approaching him, but he couldn’t, for the life of him, look up. The most he could do was keep his eyes open; if he moved, he was sure the pain would double. But he understood now. The fortune telling shtick was just a ruse to get him to stay here. This was what he wanted.

 

He wanted to corrupt Roman.

 

***

 

Roman’s mirror was cracked.

 

Patton was investigating the rest of the house in a faint hope that he was just playing some unfunny game of hide and seek, and Logan was looking around Roman’s room for a clue to where he’d gone. Virgil still hadn’t moved from his bed, because he knew if he tried to stand, he would end up looking frantically for his friend, and make his mental state much worse than it already was. No, Roman was more than a friend. He was…well…Virgil didn’t exactly know what he was, but he was something.

 

~

 

It was a darker, rainier night than most. And while Virgil loved himself some rain, this time, it made him feel uneasy. He couldn’t sleep. The music he would usually listen to only made him feel even more scattered. He was curled up in his bed, trying to ignore all the spinning thoughts flying around in his mind. He was doing his best to focus on his breathing, but the voice in his head was so loud, he could barely do that.

 

It was a voice that was not his own. But it sounded familiar.

 

_Thomas doesn’t need you._

 

After a few minutes of mental back and forth, he found himself answering out loud. From an outside perspective, he must have looked crazy. Maybe he was, but he felt like it was a conversation between him and someone else. “Yes he does,” he managed.

 

_They all hate you.You only make things worse._

 

Virgil gritted his teeth and put his hands over his ears to try and block out the noise, but it was useless. The voice was inside his head, and so overwhelmingly loud. With everything it said, it got louder. It clanked against his head and bounced around until he couldn’t even breathe, or see, or hear, or—

 

“…Virgil?”

 

The small voice seemed to silence all the noise in an instant. The cruel, nagging voice went away with a hiss echoing in the air. But then it was gone. Virgil dared to open his eyes.

 

It was Roman. He had cracked open the door, and let himself inside. He wasn’t sure of how much Roman had seen, but right now he didn’t really care. A familiar face among all the darkness made him feel grounded. He let the name out with an exhale. “Roman.”

 

“You okay in here?” he asked, stepping in further. While it was apparent that Virgil was definitely not okay, he still wanted to be sure. “I couldn’t sleep. I started feeling uneasy about the upcoming show. And when I feel unsure of myself, and I can’t sleep, then I figure that…” He trailed off.

 

Virgil finished for him. “When you can’t sleep, that must mean that it’s because I can’t sleep.”

 

How many nights had he been keeping Roman awake?

 

Roman nodded, but he didn’t appear angry. He didn’t start the Logan-esque speech about how sleeping is important, and to get optimal rest, once must be relaxed, and to relax one must blah blah blah either. Instead, he tip toed over to where Virgil was curled up, and sat down next to him.

 

“Nights can be long,” said Roman. His voice was low, smooth. The bed dipped where he sat.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“I don’t really like sleeping alone.” When Virgil eyed him from where he lay, Roman continued, “On nights like this anyway.”

 

“Nights where…?”

 

“Nights where it’s all…I don’t know….too loud.” Roman looked out into the room.

 

It was almost like a sun shining warmth spread from where he was to where Virgil was. He felt himself exhale, and when he did, his shoulders relaxed. And when Roman silently reached over a hand and hesitantly started to run his fingers through his hair, he took in a deeper, better breath. His muscles unwound themselves, and despite the embarrassment he felt for seeming so helpless, he sighed contentedly.

 

“I can…definitely be…too loud sometimes,” said Virgil. He dared to sit up. His head wasn’t swirling anymore, so he wasn’t in pain when he did so. His headache was gone. He felt…better. He didn’t think that was possible for nights like this.

 

“It’s not you,” Roman replied quietly. Virgil looked over at Roman, who was looking at him. He looked tired, but not from the lack of sleep. His hair was messy, half on one side and half on the other, with pieces sticking up here and there, and he was in an old version of the Christmas sweaters he and Patton had made all those months ago. By all accounts, he looked human. Much different from the cartoonish personality he always portrayed in public. There was something about it that made Virgil a little lightheaded.

 

He wasn’t ever really sure how it happened, or what prompted it. All he knew was, he was going to start saying something about how that made no sense, because he was Thomas’ anxiety, so of course it was his fault no one got any sleep, but he never got it out. Because in one instance, he saw Roman looking at Virgil’s lips, and the next, he was leaning in to kiss them.

 

And Virgil kissed back.

 

Roman wrapped his hands around Virgil and pulled him close, but it wasn’t like he was trying to escape. If anything, Virgil leaned into it, reaching up to mess up Roman’s already messy hair. Any hint of doubt was gone out of his head. In fact, the only things he could think were these two things: Roman is a good kisser and Roman wears cherry lip balm.

 

When they pulled away, they didn’t know what to say to each other. It was a moment of pure, unbridled passion on Roman’s part, and complete, desperate confusion on Virgil’s.

 

After a moment, all Roman could say was, “I’m sorry I didn’t ask first.”

 

All Virgil could reply was, “You never had to.”

 

Wordlessly, Virgil beckoned Roman under the covers with him. He discarded his jacket on the floor and curled up next to him. Roman slid an arm around him, and they stayed there silently until morning. Virgil fell asleep, but Roman did not. He had no idea that he spent the whole time studying the way his face looked when he was relaxed.

 

Roman decided it looked even better.

 

~

 

So maybe Virgil should tell Logan and Patton, but he and Roman agreed that to do that, they would both need to be present, so he was hoping that his anxiety would be dismissed on the grounds that that was just what he did.

 

He noticed that Roman’s mirror was cracked, and he called Logan. When Logan turned around, he pointed at it.

 

“That’s odd,” commented Logan as he went over to examine the vanity mirror. Straight down the middle, a long, splintery crack split the glass in half. No glass was missing, however. “Is it possible for the glass to break in only one place like this?”

 

“I don’t know.”

 

Logan started to reach out and touch the glass. He was a millimeter from it when Patton burst through the door of the room.

 

“Guys!” he exclaimed.

 

Virgil rose from the bed faster than he had ever done before. “You found him?!”

 

Patton looked apologetic as he said, “No, I…didn’t.” Virgil sunk back down onto the bed.

 

“What did you find?” asked Logan. He went up to Patton, who was holding something small and pointed in his hand. He placed it in Logan’s palm.

 

“Oh no,” he said. His voice faltered.

 

“What? What is it?” prompted Virgil.

 

Logan showed him.

 

It was a nail, painted yellow and black, sharpened to a point.

 

Virgil hissed out his name. “Deceit.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (to the tune of wheel of fortune) Leave! a! Comment!


	3. The Opposite of Roman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I can change it around some too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never written this so quickly before. Great, now im gonna jinx myself haha. Not sure how long this will continue, but i got plans. make sure to leave a comment on how i could make this better!

Deceit looked down at his hand and studied his broken nail in disgust. He should’ve known better than to buy some cheap plastic nails and paint over them. With gloves coming on and off all the time, it was no wonder why one of them broke off. He would never buy these cheap things ever again. And the person who sold these knockoffs to him would soon be in a world of pain for the way they cheated him.

Speaking of pain.

Roman was crouched on the ground, holding his head like it was a child he didn’t want, and he was making the most awful noises. He really should get out of here if he wanted to feel better. But alas, he didn’t seem capable of conjuring a door to leave. He was preoccupied with his own pain. What a shame.

Deceit leaned down to make eye contact with Roman, whose face immediately scrunched up at the sight of him. Hm. Was he really that ugly?

He spoke cooly. _I was not lying when I said I didn’t want anything from you. Really. I don’t._ He stood straight. _I just want something FOR you._

“What?” Roman hissed. “What do you want for me?” He attempted to stand, but the pain in his head prevented him. He made a pathetic groaning sound and sank back down to the ground.

Deceit waved his broken nailed finger at Roman. _No, no, no. That would just ruin the fun._ He turned around and slowly stepped to the other side of the room. With a snap of his fingers, a mirror appeared in front of him. Roman looked up, and when he saw exactly what was in that mirror, his breath caught in his throat.

It was Virgil, standing just inches away from it. His back was turned, and he was talking to Logan and Patton with his arms crossed. They were all in his room.

“Is this--” Roman struggled to his feet, still having to lean against the wall to stay upright-- “Is that my mirror?” He couldn’t see Virgil’s face, but he could see Patton’s. And he looked distressed. His often smiling face was etched with worry and Roman couldn’t help but feel responsible. Patton was holding something small in his hand too. Logan pointed at the mirror and said something, but Roman couldn’t hear what it was. Virgil turned around to look into the mirror. He seemed to be examining it, eyeing it up and down.

“Wait.” Roman tried to go towards the mirror, but the world throbbed before him, and he couldn’t move. His footing was failing him. “Can he see me? Can he...Virgil!” His voice scraped its way out of his mouth as he yelled, but despite the pain, he tried anyway. “Virgil! It’s me! I’m here! I’m here I’m…”

Deceit snapped his fingers again, and suddenly, the mirror was right in front of him. Roman was inches from Virgil, and he could see every freckle and dimple. Every part of his face that he had memorized was there, if only he could reach up and cup his cheek the way he did when they caught each other alone. Or on loud nights when neither of them could sleep, when Roman came into his room like it was a routine, and how Virgil didn’t even ask who was there, he just threw his covers open, and Virgil your hands are so cold, and I know Roman, they’re always cold, I’m always cold, that’s why I like to lay with you because you’re so warm, and somehow all the nightmares go away when I’m with you, so please don’t leave me alone tonight, and-

Roman reached up to place his palm against the mirror, and when he did, a massive crack split the glass in two. He reeled back, closing his eyes shut tight in case any glass fell into his eyes. But there was no falling glass to worry about. It had just cracked.

_Look at yourself Roman. It’s been a minute since you’ve looked in a mirror._

Roman didn’t want to, but he opened his eyes and saw what he looked like. When he did, he wanted to scream.

His eyes were no longer brown. They were a deathly blood red. They looked like snake eyes. What seemed to crawl across his face as he watched were red and black scales. They lined his face and went down his cheek, spreading across his lip, which seemed to turn up in a snarl. He just stared at himself, open mouthed.

“What…” he began. His voice was distorted, lower. It faltered as he spoke, “what have you done to me?” He reached up a shaking hand and ran his fingers across his cheek. He wasn't even human anymore.

Deceit snapped the mirror away. _I didn't do anything._

He wasn't sure how it got there, or where it came from, but a fire sparked in the bottom of his stomach. An angry flame that creeped its way up into his lungs until his heart was in his throat. He felt his chest contracting and all of a sudden, he saw white. A white hot rage that completely over took him. His headache was gone, replaced with a certain wrath that he had never possessed before. 

His body acted before his mind did. Before he knew it, he was lunging across the room, hands outstretched and aiming right for Deceit’s throat.

When he reached Deceit, his hands grabbed only air.

Roman turned around, breathing heavily. Deceit was gone.

In the half a second it took him to blink, the walls of the room dissolved away, the floor fell out from beneath him, and he was falling into a pit of darkness.

***

Logan pointed at Roman's mirror. “Do you think he has something to do with this?”

Virgil turned around and examined the crack. No glass was missing. It was just cracked. Like someone had dropped it and it landed solely on its frame. But it hadn't been moved. It had just...become like that.

“I know he had something to do with it,” said Virgil. He turned back around. “Roman's missing, his mirror is jacked up, and that asshole’s nail is here. He might as well have left a note that said he took him.” He took in a deep breath. He would not allow himself to panic any more than he already was. He didn't need to make Patton cry for god sake. And by the looks of it, he wasn't far from tears anyway.

Patton closed his fist around the nail. “What should we do?” His voice was small.

Virgil didn't have an answer. He just sighed, and ran a hand through his hair. “Can I...um…” he glanced at Roman's bed. “Can I just have a minute alone? I need to...figure out what to do.”

Patton started to say something, but Logan just put a soft hand on his shoulder. They shared a look, then quietly left the room. Logan shut the door behind him.

Virgil stood in the middle of Roman's room, not even knowing where he should take a next step to. His closet, his bed, his posters, his awards, his everything. But no him. He wasn't there. And for some reason, Deceit was the cause of it.

Virgil turned around and looked at Roman's mirror again. He stepped close to it and got one more good look. If he squinted, and imagined, he could see Roman's face there instead of his own. Oh, how he wished he could hear Roman's voice. It always seemed to calm him in times like this.

“I gotta find you,” he whispered. He closed his eyes and let his head fall forward, putting a defeated palm against the glass.

But when he did this, his hand went right through it. And before he could let out a noise of surprise or call for help, something on the other side pulled him through the mirror.


	4. Deception

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rage is the opposite of passion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does this...make any?????? sense??? anymore????? Let me know if it does.

“Roman?”

Roman was on the ground, holding his head. The pain was back, and the floor swirled under him. But somewhere among it all, he heard a familiar voice that comforted him.

He weakly called out, “Virgil…?”

He felt someone holding him. “It’s me.”

The hands holding him were warm, and he leaned into their touch. “It’s you.” He was so cold, and Virgil was so warm. He had found him. He had actually found him.

“Listen Roman, I’m going to get help.”

“What? No. D-don’t leave me…”

A hand held his face. “I’m coming back. But be careful while I go get Logan and Patton okay?” he leaned in and whispered in Roman’s ear. “The next person who comes in here will be Deceit. Okay?”

Roman didn’t understand how he would know that, but he didn’t care to ask if it made sense. “Okay.”

With that, the warmness of his hands left, and he laid there, shivering and in pain, waiting for Virgil to come back.

***

 

It was dark. A distant light came from somewhere, but it was too far away for Virgil to see where. He landed on his side with a groan, and when he stood, he held his shoulder until the pain faded to a dull throb. It wasn’t like he fell from the top of a skyscraper or something.

He looked behind him, where he’d come from. The mirror was gone. How he managed to get sucked through that tiny thing, he’ll never know.

Virgil stared out into the vast darkness, looking around him, searching for any sign of life or...walls...or anything. But there was nothing. 

Despite feeling like it wouldn’t help, he still called out. “Logan? Patton?” His voice had nothing to echo against, so it just floated up into the open air and disappeared. As if he had never spoken at all. “Pat? Lo?” No one answered him. He started to look around himself more frantically, looking for any sign of anything that could give him an idea of where he was. But it was all dark, and suddenly he was reminded of all those dark nights when he had no one but himself and…

Virgil took a deep breath. That’s all he had to focus on, his breathing. As long has he had control of his breathing, then he could think clearly enough to figure out not only where he was, but how to get out of here too. In, out. Roman’s voice came back to him. It’s not you. 

“No, it’s not me,” Virgil whispered into the darkness, “but I know who it is.” He picked a direction and started walking, despite everything inside of him telling his legs to stay planted until the sun swallowed the earth.

He had been walking for a few minutes when he heard, in the distance, something that sounded like….singing? Virgil strained to listen. 

It was indeed someone singing. A soft, gentle voice that seemed to lull out a slow, charming melody. It was a song that seemed familiar. Not one he listened to by himself, but one that had been sung to him before. It was a song he hated before he had been serenaded with it on a night where he had gotten into a fight with someone he loved dearly. That someone came to his bedroom window from the outside and threw rocks at the window until he opened it. Very Romeo and Juliet. Then he sang this song until Virgil joined him in his own room, into a fantasy land he had created just for the two of them. He could never stay mad at this person.

“Roman?!”

_We’ll begin..._

Virgil picked up the pace. The voice began to get louder. “Roman!”

_With a spin..._

“Roman! Are you okay?” The light he had barely been able to distinguish earlier now seemed brighter. Like it was coming from somewhere tangible. Perhaps a room?

_Traveling in a world of my creation..._

A door came into view. A yellow door with black trim. The light was hanging just above the door, illuminating it.

_What you’ll see…_

Virgil didn’t even notice. He burst through it. It was dark in here, just as it had been outside. He stood in the middle of the room, the voice almost right in his ear. “Roman, where are you?” He was breathing heavy.

_Will defy…_

The door slammed shut behind him. When he turned around, the light turned on, and the sudden brightness caused Virgil to bring his hands up to his face and shield himself from the harsh glow. It took several seconds for him to adjust.

_Explanation..._

When he finally let his hands fall from his eyes, he expected to see Roman. And he did. But it was definitely not the Roman he knew. It was...he didn’t know what it was.

But standing there smugly, above the tortured mess of red and white curled up on the ground, was him. Deceit.

_Virgil, it’s so good to see you again._

The anger was clear in his voice when he said, “You don’t get to call me by that name.” He tried to go towards Roman, but Deceit stepped in his way. And something made Virgil back away from him. There was a quiet, hot energy that glowed around him, almost like a force field. It drove Virgil back.

 _Remember, Virgil, it’s my world you’re in right now. Don’t walk around acting like you own the place._ He leaned in close, and it took all Virgil had to not flinch. _You lost that privilege a long time ago._

Learning not to waver under such condescention was a long process, but it’s something he has, with help, mastered. “I just want Roman.”

Deceit raised an eyebrow, no longer smiling. He stepped aside. _All yours._ He disappeared.

Virgil rushed down to Roman’s side and pulled him up into his lap. He barely even moved, he was so weak. When Virgil called his name, all Roman could managed was a small groan. He was holding his head, and whispering things under his breath that Virgil couldn’t make out.

“Roman, roman, it’s me, I found you.” He cradled Roman’s head in his hands, and Roman’s hands scrambled up and found Virgil’s. He grabbed on tight. “Was that you singing? That’s how I found you.”

Roman shook his head, still mumbling things under his breath. “No...it was..it..was..it was him…” He choked back a sob, holding his head with both hands now. “I need....to find...Vi-Virgil..”

“What? What, no. No, I’m--” he held Roman closer, and Roman tried to push him away-- “I’m right here, I promise.”

“No..n…” He faded off into sobs. Virgil cupped his face. It was so rough. His eyes were red, and he looked exactly like--

“Oh Roman…” he said. “What did he do to you?”

Among all the noises Roman was making, he suddenly stopped. His hands fell from his head, and he was limp. Virgil had thought he hurt him.

But then he heard a low, steady, dangerous...was that a growl?

“What did he do to me?” asked Roman. His voice was distorted and low, the way Virgil’s sounded sometimes. He sounded...enraged. “He didn’t do anything. He loves me.” He started to stand, seemingly no longer affected by any pain. His red eyes flashed silver.

“Roman?” Virgil asked.

Roman was standing over Virgil, looking down at him like a raw piece of meat and he was a starving lion. “It’s you who’s ruined me. And taken me away from my family. And the one I love more than anything in the world.” He pointed at Virgil. “You may ruin how I look, but never my will. I am stronger than you. Deceit.”

Virgil’s eyes widened, and suddenly, he understood.

He scrambled to his feet and backed up until his back was against the wall. “Roman, I don’t know what he did to your head, but it’s me. I’m Virgil. I’m…” he tried to think. “I’m um, your Hot Topic, remember?” He laughed weakly.

It was as if he hadn’t been heard. Roman took a step forward. “You do all you can to ruin our lives.”

“Roman--”

“But I am stronger than you.”

“I’m not who you think I am--”

He screamed, “You’re EXACTLY who I think you are! You black hearted snake!”

With that, he lunged towards Virgil with his arms aiming for his neck.


	5. A Moment In Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was a misunderstanding, but it was so much more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning before you read this chapter. it's been tagged, but it is a tad graphic. If you don't feel like you're going to be comfortable reading what's in the chapter after seeing the most recent tags, then skip this one. Don't worry, you won't miss much. :)

It was as if Roman’s vision was tinted red. His breaths came out in angry heaves, and every step he took seemed to make the very ground rumble beneath him. His body acted before his mind told him to, and before he knew it, he was hurling himself across the room at the yellow and black figure backing away from him. It had to be Deceit. It had to be. That was what Virgil had said, and even though he couldn’t exactly make out his face, he knew his color scheme. The ugly colors of deception and lies that had plagued his family’s lives for far too long. A sort of rage drove him forward, something the likes of which he had never seen before.

He had Deceit pinned up against the wall, and everything was blurry, even the sounds, even the feelings, even the sensations. His hands tingled as he squeezed the air out of Deceit’s throat, and he knew that this was not him. Roman would never be this angry, but he couldn’t stop himself. Something inside of him forbid him stop, and the parts of him that knew this was wrong were not strong enough to overpower the parts that told him to keep going. He grit his teeth, and he felt his face being slapped and his hair being pulled and his stomach being kicked as the lousy snake tried to wriggle away. But he didn’t even register the pain. His vision just got more red, until he couldn’t even make out the shapes.

“How does it feel to not be the one in control?” he hissed. With every word he said, his voice grew so distorted to the point of being incomprehensible, even to himself. _“How does it feel to be controlled?”_

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but it had been almost enough. The measures Deceit had tried to take in fighting back were almost gone now. All he could manage to do was bring his hands up and hold Roman’s wrists weakly. The hands were freezing, and the cold seemed to seep through his clothes, his skin, his bones, everything. They were so cold, that it slithered its way up his arms, his chest, up his neck, and into his head.

The blurriness went away as he remembered.

~

“Virgil, your hands are so cold,” he said with a chuckle, jokingly shoving them under the covers.

“Yeah,” Virgil said, “They’re always cold.”

~

_The hands holding him were warm, and he leaned into their touch. “It’s you.” He was so cold, and Virgil was so warm. He had found him. He had actually found him._

~

His red vision went away, and the picture became sharper. The yellow faded away into purple, and the rage disintegrated inside of him. It was replaced with horror, as he just began to understand what was before him: Virgil, pinned against the wall by Roman’s hands, going limp, holding his wrists with his hands that were always cold. 

“Oh dear god,” he said. He pulled his hands away, and Virgil slid to the ground, sucking in air gratefully as he coughed and choked. He was a fool. Roman was a fool, and evil. The hands were Deceit’s. That’s why they were so warm. He was so occupied with his own pain that he didn’t even bother to notice the signs. He had been completely and utterly deceived. 

“Roman…” Virgil coughed again. “It’s- it’s ok-okay.” he tried to stand, but he stumbled on his feet, and fell back against the wall. Roman started to reach forward out of instinct, but he forced himself to stay back. He didn’t want to hurt Virgil any more than he already had. He could already see the red ring around his neck starting to form.

“No,” he whispered. He was afraid his own voice would hurt him. “No, it’s not okay. I..” he was tearing up, he could feel it. “I could’ve...I almost did…”

Virgil gave up trying to stand for the moment, and he settled for sitting against the wall. His voice came out hoarse and quiet. “It wasn’t...it wasn’t you, Roman.”

“Who else could it have been?” Tears were falling freely now, and he could feel his knees start to shake. He sunk to the ground. “It was...my hands...my eyes..my...me. It’s me.”

Virgil crawled over to him, and despite Roman trying to push him away, he still held him close. “It’s not you,” he said softly. “It’s Deceit.”

Roman reached up to wipe his tears away, and when he did, he felt the rough scales on the side of his face. He had been corrupted. He had been foolish enough to let it happen to him, and how he had almost killed the person he loved the most.

“Oh, Virgil…” he fell against him even though he felt like he didn’t deserve to be this close to him. “I’m so sorry. I am so sorry. He was so...but I didn’t leave when I should’ve, and he made me think...he was so _warm,_ I should have known it wasn’t..but I stayed and...Oh my god.” He was full on sobbing now. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”

Virgil leaned down and kissed his cheek, despite the ugly scales that decorated him. “It’s okay.” His coolness seemed to soothe the fire inside of Roman, and he began to feel more like himself with every deep breath he took. Virgil watched quietly as the crying faded off, and as that happened, the scales faded away as well. Starting at his lips, and moving up his cheek, they disappeared.

When Roman opened his eyes again, they weren’t red anymore. They were brown.

“I was so angry,” he whispered.

“It wasn’t your fault.”

There was a pause. “Thank you,” Roman said. “I think you, I think you saved me.”

Virgil smiled, and laughed a little, despite the soreness in his throat. “I didn’t do that much.”

“Thank you. I…” he went silent. He was afraid to say it, in case he didn’t say it back.

Virgil stroked Roman’s hair. “I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary for those who skipped: Roman realized that it was Virgil, and felt horrible for hurting him. Virgil says it's okay, and as Roman comes down from his anger, he no longer becomes corrupted.

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment.


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